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www.sportseventsmagazine.com
July 2018
11
American cyclists," said Derek
Bouchard-Hall, president and
CEO of USA Cycling.
As the development director,
Johnson will lead USA
Cycling Foundation's efforts
to engage new potential donors
and share USA Cycling's
vision for the growing sport.
During his 18 years as a
professional cyclist, Johnson
competed for Team USA in 13
UCI Cyclocross World Cham-
pionships – earning a bronze
in the U23 event in 1999 –
and in two races for the UCI
Road World Championships
in 2002 and 2003. He was
also a six-time U.S. National
Cyclocross Champion and
won Australia's Herald Sun
Tour on the road in 2003.
After retiring in 2015,
Johnson served as an ambassa-
dor for multiple leading cycling
brands, led fundraising and
awareness rides, and served as
a broadcast analyst for Tour of
Utah, JingleCross World Cup
and USA Cycling's National
Cyclocross Championships.
For more information,
visit www.usacycling.org/
foundation.
Ron Sertz Steps Down at
Erie Sports Commission
ERIE, Pa. — The Erie Sports
Commission (ESC) announced
that Ron Sertz, the organiza-
tion's first and only executive
director, will step down from
his position. Mark Jeanneret
will assume the executive
director position. Sertz will
continue to serve ESC as a
consultant.
"Mark has worked for me for
many years, both at the Sports
Commission and previously
as my communication and
media director with the Erie
Otters," said Sertz. "I've
always admired his hard
work, dedication and talents. I
hired him five years ago at the
ESC with the special intent of
training him in the operations
and management of the sports
commission, in order that
he could eventually serve
in the lead role. I feel he is
ready and the time is ripe for
a smooth transition. I know
he'll do a great job, and I plan
to assist him in any way I can
as a consultant in order to take
the sports commission to even
greater heights."
For more information, visit
www.eriesportscommission.
com.
Events
US Trail Running Confer-
ence Slated for August
29-31 in San Luis Obispo
ESTES PARK, Colo. — The
sixth annual US Trail Running
Conference will be held Aug.
29 – 31 in San Luis Obispo,
Calif., the first time the event
has taken place outside of
Estes Park since its inception.
The City of San Luis Obispo
(SLO), partnering with Race
SLO and the SLO Ultra, will
cover topics dedicated to trail
running, including interactive
sessions covering specific
subjects regarding holding
successful, viable races that
are also kind to the environ-
ment. Also, speaker panels will
feature top guest race directors
and experts. A full expo of
vendors and service providers
will also be on hand.
The conference will feature
fundraising initiatives for
American Trail Running
Association.
For more information,
visit www.ustrailrunning
conference.com. ►
t
SPORTS Talk
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — The official groundbreaking
of the $37 million Panama City Beach Sports Complex took
place in June. The complex is slated to open its first phase in
May 2019. A ceremony – welcoming more than 100 attend-
ees with remarks by representatives from Visit Panama City
Beach, Bay County Tourism Development Council (TDC),
The St. Joe Company, Bay District Schools and Bay County
Commission – marked the milestone. As a special moment
kicking off the event, a sign naming the park entrance road as
Chip Seal Parkway was presented to the late Visit Panama
City Beach executive's wife, Amy Seal, by TDC Vice Chair
Buddy Wilkes and members of the staff.
"This is an important milestone for Panama City Beach,
breaking ground on the new sports park, and I am glad we
can honor our late colleague Chip Seal, who had a passion
and enthusiasm for our destination that we carry on every
day," said Visit Panama City Beach President and CEO Dan
Rowe. "Now we look forward to soon welcoming many more
athletes from across the country competing and enjoying all
that Panama City Beach has to offer."
The Panama City Beach Sports Complex is located on
210 acres on the east end of Panama City Beach within the
Breakfast Point development and will consist of an outdoor
field complex, an indoor sports center and a new elementary
school. The combination of high-quality visitor amenities, state-
of-the-art amateur athletic facilities and creative site design will
set a new standard for sports complexes throughout the coun-
try. Phase One will include 13 rectangular fields, including nine
with artificial surfaces, and two stadiums seating up to 1,500
spectators. The flexible design will allow for soccer, lacrosse,
rugby, football, as well as baseball and softball.
Sports Facilities Management, located in Clearwater, Fla.,
has been chosen to take charge of operating the new facilities.
A study by the company projects an economic impact of $23.2
million for the first year, with 81,611 non-summer visitors as
the contributors to 60,000 room nights. Phase One could also
create between 100 to 150 additional jobs for the area.
For more information, visit www.visitpanamacitybeach.
com. n
Panama City Beach Sports Park and
Stadium Complex Breaks Ground